Broken and Beautiful

by Ryan, Kendall

  And to top it off, the asshole refuses to even rent me the house. So, it’s not even my landlord I’ve been fantasizing about since walking away last night.

  Oh yeah. I almost forgot that little detail. Not only am I brokenhearted because of Douglas, but I’m also sexually frustrated because of some stranger. As much as I hate to admit it, he was right last night when he said Douglas wasn’t big on the action part. But hey, I learned to live with it, because that’s what you do when you love someone unconditionally.

  Cautiously opening my eyes, I squint down at my phone to see a bunch of missed calls and texts from Douglas.

  “Oh wow…” I open his texts and begin scrolling through them, but before I get too far, Veronica practically dives into the bed and knocks my phone from my hand, saving me from the heartache and empty promises.

  “Don’t do it, Cami!” She grunts and squeezes her eyes shut, as if she’s in just as much physical pain as I am at the moment. “Nothing he can say will change the fact that he’s been cheating on you. Reading his messages will only give you hope where there is none. He’s a liar and doesn’t deserve your forgiveness.”

  “I’m not going to forgive him, Veronica. The picture in my phone is to make sure that doesn’t happen. I’ll keep it there as long as I have to, and if I feel myself slipping then I’ll pull it up and force myself to look at it. Hell, I’ll even print it out if I have to. Don’t worry.”

  The thought of seeing his lips locked with hers makes me sick. But that’s the whole point of having it, I suppose.

  We both look up when Peter appears in the doorway with a grin on his face. He looks clean and showered, as if he’s been up for hours. “You ladies look lovely this afternoon.” He crosses his arms and looks us over. If I look anything like Veronica then we both look like a hot mess. “I see you guys found my six pack of beer. I hope you ladies enjoyed it.”

  “We did…” I groan. “I mean, I think we did. We were already pretty wasted by then. Thank you, Peter.”

  “Yeah. Thanks, honey.” Veronica rolls over and smashes her face into the bed, before struggling to look up at her husband. “Can you bring us some water and painkillers? Pleeeease. Whatever you can find will work.”

  “Sure, babe. Anything for my ladies.” He walks over and kisses Veronica on the forehead, before laughing and walking away. It’s not very often he gets to see us hungover. It’s usually the other way around, and both Veronica and I always have a good time laughing at his expense.

  “He’s really enjoying this, isn’t he?”

  She nods. “Uh huh. Very much, and I hate it.”

  Peter comes back a few minutes later with some pills and water, offering to run to my place to grab a few things.

  It’s best if I don’t see Douglas for a while, so I agreed to let Peter grab the things he thinks I might need that wasn’t packed in the small suitcase of clothes I brought.

  It’s a struggle, but after a while I force myself out of Veronica’s guest bed and make my way to the bathroom to shower. I stand under the water for a while, thinking about Douglas and Susan, wondering how long he’s been fucking her behind my back. The more I try and figure it out, the angrier and more determined I become to get as far away from him as possible.

  I tried convincing Douglas to move closer to the school just a few months ago and finding a decent place to rent was nearly impossible. The houses that were available were dumps no one wants to bother fixing up or were too small.

  There’s got to be something I can do to convince Jensen to give me a shot. I can’t and won’t move back to Douglas’ hometown.

  I refuse to.

  My newfound motivation has me rushing through the rest of my shower and quickly throwing on some clothes, not even bothering to brush my hair or do my makeup.

  “Whoa. Where are you storming off to?” Veronica watches me from the stove as I walk past her through the kitchen.

  “How often is the landlord next door?”

  She gives me an ‘oh shit’ look and drops the spatula she’s flipping pancakes with. “Almost everyday now. Why? What are you going to do now?”

  “What time?”

  “Cami?”

  “What time?” I push.

  She exhales and reaches for the spatula to flip the pancakes. “It’s the weekend, so probably around one or two.”

  My phone is still on the floor in the bedroom where Veronica knocked it, so I search the kitchen for a clock. When I don’t see one, I rush into the living room to check the cable box. My heart speeds up when I see that it’s just past two. “I’ll be back. You can stay here this time if you’re scared.”

  “Oh, I’m scared all right. He may be hot. Unnaturally hot, but he’s just as much of an asshole, and I don’t want to get kicked out. Good luck, honey.”

  “Thanks,” I mutter. “I’ll need it.”

  I take a few deep breaths and slowly release them, before I make my way outside and look next door.

  There’s a motorcycle parked out front instead of the huge black truck I saw there last night. I hope he didn’t send someone else to work on the place today so he could take the day off.

  I won’t know if I don’t try.

  “Here goes nothing.”

  Walking barefoot through the grass, I make my way to the side of the house to peek into one of the windows to see if he’s even there.

  Yes, I’m aware I look like a creeper right now, but unlike last night, I don’t have any alcohol in my bloodstream to just burst through the door again. I hope setting my eyes on the asshole first will anger me enough to give me the courage to give it to him hard, and I don’t mean sexually.

  It’s not until I reach the window at the back of the house that I finally see him shirtless, covered in paint.

  He’s looking around the room as if to see what’s left to be done, and for a split second, my heart stops when I think he notices me watching him. But when he places his hands against the wall and bows his head, I freeze, unable to turn away. Clearly, he’s thinking about something, and I can’t help but wonder what that something is.

  He stays like that for a few moments, before taking one of his hands and sliding it down the front of his jeans.

  My heart slams against my ribcage as he leans his head back and bites his bottom lip, before he begins running his palm over his dick.

  His movements are slow and sensual, and before I can force myself to look away, he pulls the side of his jeans down a bit, exposing the defined V of muscle that leads down to his groin.

  I’m unable to move away for a few moments, cemented to where I stand, but all it takes is him pulling his pants down farther and growling out as his movements speed up for me to finally get a handle on my body.

  “Oh, my God,” I whisper in panic, nearly tripping over my own feet as I move away from the window and slam my back against the house.

  I may not have been able to see his dick, but just the fact that I witnessed him pleasuring himself has my body heating with desire and need I shouldn’t feel. Especially right now.

  The temptation to get another glimpse of him touching himself is stronger the longer I stand here, fighting to catch my breath.

  What the hell is wrong with me?

  I take one more quick breath, before pushing away from the siding and then turn to walk around the side of the house before anyone sees me. I stop dead in my tracks when I slam into a rock-hard body that almost sends me flying to my ass.

  “What the fuck are you doing back here?” He crosses his arms and looks down at me. The way his icy blues roam over my face before landing on my lips has me almost coming undone again. “Were you spying on me?”

  “No,” I say angrily, even though inside I am dying from embarrassment because it’s true. I’m a damn pervert who just watched my best friend’s landlord touch himself. “I was trying to see if you were working before barging in again. I…”

  “So, you weren’t watching me touch my dick…” He steps in close and whispers in my
ear, “and enjoying it?”

  His breath caressing my ear and neck has my nipples hardening, forcing me to move my arms up to cover myself by crossing them over my chest.

  “No,” I say on a nervous swallow. “Now move so I can leave. I’m not in the mood to deal with your shit today. All I wanted was an application, but for whatever reason you clearly don’t plan to give me one.”

  “It seems to me you’d rather have a peep show. That I have no problem continuing if it helps you get over your ex.” Keeping his eyes on me, he slowly moves his hand down his stomach, before gripping his hard dick. “We’ve gotten this far, Cami. You might as well watch me come too.”

  “Wow! You’re an asshole.” I push on his chest in anger and walk past him. “Go fuck yourself.”

  “That’s what I was trying to do when you were watching me through the window.”

  I stop in my tracks and turn around to face him. “You knew I was there the whole time, didn’t you? Is that why you did it?”

  “I was horny and you showed up at the wrong time, or right, depending on how you want to look at it…” He looks me over, his lips curving up into a confident smirk when his gaze lands on my hard nipples. “The thought of you watching me get off had me ready to fucking blow my load. So, yes, I touched myself for you.”

  “You really are something else,” I say angrily. “I’m going inside.”

  “Me too. I’ll be in the shower finishing myself off. When you go inside and touch yourself, think about that. You’ll come in no time.”

  “You’re an asshole.”

  “Never said I wasn’t.”

  I’m about to open the door to Veronica’s house to get away when he speaks again. “Check the mailbox for your application. I want it completed and back to me within a few hours.”

  I turn to look at him, but he’s already making his way up the porch and into the house.

  This guy makes me insane. In fact, he has me so crazy and caught up in hating him that Douglas doesn’t even cross my mind until he calls a few hours later.

  “Please tell me you’re still ignoring his calls,” Veronica says over my shoulder from where I’m sitting at the kitchen table.

  I look away from the application I have yet to fill out and flip my phone over, face down. “Surprisingly, this is the first time he’s called since Peter got back with my things.”

  Veronica laughs and takes a seat at the table. “Peter might’ve mentioned to him that if he called anytime soon he’d come back and break his arm.”

  A satisfied grin settles on my face when I picture Douglas’ scared expression. Peter is a pretty intimidating looking guy. He’s tall and muscular with tattoos and a beard. “I’ll have to remember to thank him by cooking my famous tacos before I leave. If I ever leave that is.”

  “Umm…” Her gaze lingers down to the paper in front of me. “Isn’t that an application for next door? It says Blake Rentals on the top.” She taps the paper and smiles. “Looks like he has a soft spot for you after all.”

  I let out a sarcastic laugh. “Are you still drunk, Veronica? I’m pretty positive he hates me just as much as I hate him.” I pick up the application and wave it around, before slamming it back down on the table. “He’s probably going to throw it in the trash. There’s no point in even filling it out.”

  “Welp, I guess you won’t know unless you try.” She stands up and reaches for a clean wine glass. “When does he want it back? He usually gives a timeframe, and trust me, you don’t want to be late.”

  I flip my phone over and shrug. “About twenty minutes ago.”

  “Cami! Oh hell… You’ll be needing one of these too.” She reaches for a second glass and fills it halfway up, before shrugging and filling it to the top. “Are you insane?” she asks, handing one of the glasses to me.

  “Sometimes. Everyone deserves a little respect. He needs to learn that he can’t just bark out orders and expect everyone to obey.”

  And that he can’t just use his body to get what he wants. But I leave that part out. I’ve barely recovered from that little show and I’d like nothing more than to forget it ever happened.

  “Are you trying to get me kicked out?” She tilts her glass back in panic, taking a huge gulp. “I don’t want to have to move. Do you know how long it took to get into one of his properties? They’re hard to get into, because everyone wants a Blake Rentals home. Blake Construction builds each and every one and they’re the best quality homes around.”

  “He builds the houses too?” I ask in shock. “When does this guy ever have time to rest?”

  “He doesn’t,” she says quickly. “It’s probably why he’s such an asshole when it comes to his properties, and I don’t want to provoke him in any way.”

  “He’s not going to kick you out because he’s pissed at me, Veronica. Surely, he’s not that big of an asshole.”

  She nods, spilling wine down the front of her shirt as she continues to drink. “Yes. Definitely. He’s that big of an asshole. Fill that out ASAP and get it back to him. I mean it. Don’t fuck me over on this.” She stands up, completely on edge. “I’ll be in my room trying not to hyperventilate. Holy fuck, Cami! Holy…”

  She disappears down the hall, not finishing her sentence. I’ve never seen her so nervous in the entire six years that I’ve known her. I can’t deny that it has me somewhat nervous now too.

  Her reaction and Douglas calling, mixed with the fact that the guy I’m trying to convince to rent me his property is a complete asshole who touched himself hours ago, knowing I was watching, has my nerves shot.

  Thank God for wine. I’m definitely feeling the need to drink it all now…

  Jensen

  Fuck, I shouldn’t have done that in front of her, but the fact that she showed no interest in me the other night had me wanting to do something to change her mind when I saw her watching me through the window.

  As sick as I am of all these fucking women wanting me for my body, when it comes to Cami, for some reason I want her to want me for the same damn thing.

  Talk about being fucked in the head.

  Had she stood outside that window for two seconds longer she would’ve gotten a view of my very hard dick as I stroked it while looking her right in the eyes until I came. And I would’ve had no problem in doing so.

  It’s been four hours since I told her to bring me the application, so I’m beginning to think she’s changed her mind about living here after the little show I put on.

  Maybe that’s a good thing, because I’m not sure how many more times I can look at her without using my body for what I do best these days—fucking good and hard and forgetting it ever happened.

  After I finished the final coat of paint in the spare bedroom, I moved on to do some work in the kitchen. I can only handle so much painting at once without thinking too much and getting lost in my head.

  In the middle of tearing up some of the damaged floor tile, I hear a throat clear from somewhere close by.

  When I look up Cami is standing barefoot in a little white summer dress with her long blonde hair pulled up into a lose bun.

  The sight of her sun-kissed skin and long legs has my dick instantly hardening beneath my jeans, and the moment my gaze moves up to her scowling lips, it manages to harden even more.

  “Is this even a real application?” She holds the paper up and points at one of the extra questions I added before printing it. “How many times a week did Douglas make you come? Really?"

  “It’s definitely a real application.” I stand, wiping my hands down my jeans. “Did you answer every question?”

  She shakes her head and lets out a sarcastic laugh. “Did I… did I answer every question? Of course I didn’t, because there’s at least three that are irrelevant to me living here. You’re insane if you think I’m going to give you that kind of information.”

  Shaking my head in disappointment, I move toward Cami, stopping once I’m standing right in front of her. “Then you didn’t listen.” I point
out. “I told you to complete the application and bring it back to me within a few hours, and here you are four fucking hours later standing in my kitchen with an incomplete form.”

  She swallows nervously, her gaze roaming over my half-naked body as I take another step closer to her, my arms now on either side of her waist, her back against the counter. “Now answer the fucking question, Cami.”

  “Who said he made me come weekly?” she questions stiffly. “Maybe I can’t answer that question.”

  “What a shame,” I say against her neck, before moving my lips up it, stopping just beneath her ear. “Want to know how many times a week I would make you come?” When she doesn’t say anything, I lick my lips and continue. “Fourteen.”

  “You do realize there’s only seven days in a week, right?” Her voice is weak, and I can’t help but hope it’s from my body being so close.

  “Exactly,” I whisper in her ear. “But that’s just the number of times I would, not the number that I could.”

  “You’re full of it.” She places her hands on my chest, causing me to take a slight step back.

  “Am I?” I grip her waist with both hands. “I could prove right now that I’m not.” With that, I pick her up and set her on the counter, spreading her thighs for me to step in between them.

  “What the hell are you doing?” She shoves my chest, but I stand firm, barely moving. “I’m not going to have sex with you, Jensen. Firstly, I can’t stand you, and secondly, I just got cheated on by my ex of five years. Sex is the last thing on my mind.”

  “Who said anything about sex?” I remove my hands from her waist to place them on her thighs. When she doesn’t push me away, I slowly move them up her dress to grip the thin strings of her panties. “I’m only interested in making you come, since your ex clearly wasn’t doing the job. My tongue will do the job just fine and you can continue to hate me after.”

  I wrap my fists around her panties and give them a slight tug to test her. When a small gasp leaves her lips instead of a no, I know she wants me to taste her pussy just as much as I want to.